The Dinsmore surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,008 people carried this name — #6,735 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 58,800 people counted. That is up 1% from 4,981 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Dinsmore surname

Variant of Dunsmore.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Dinsmore» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 6 births for the Dinsmore name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 300 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Londonderry.”

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 6

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

49 families named Dinsmore, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 317 people lived in those households, 6.5 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 2 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

New Hampshire 21
Massachusetts 8
Maine 7
Vermont 6
Pennsylvania 4
Connecticut 1
New York 1
South Carolina 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 237 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Dinsmore in American newspapers,
1884–1924.

Newspaper page from The Birmingham Age-herald carrying the name Dinsmore
The Birmingham Age-herald 1924-03-12
Newspaper page from Mccook Weekly Tribune carrying the name Dinsmore
Mccook Weekly Tribune 1884-07-17
Newspaper page from The Sioux County Journal carrying the name Dinsmore
The Sioux County Journal 1892-07-14

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 57,423 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Dinsmore in Australian newspapers,
1860s–1990s.

1,575 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Dinsmore. The most, 555, date from the 1900s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 2.0 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 634
New South Wales 438
Queensland 291
South Australia 99
Western Australia 60
Tasmania 39
ACT (Canberra) 3

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Dinsmore.

Who carried it

People named Dinsmore,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Julia Stockton Dinsmore
    Julia Stockton Dinsmore 1833–1926 · diarist
  • Hugh A. Dinsmore
    Hugh A. Dinsmore 1850–1930 · lawyer
  • John Edward Dinsmore
    John Edward Dinsmore 1862–1951 · botanist
  • Arthur Morris Dinsmore d. 1947 · writer
  • James Dinsmore 1770–1830 · carpenter
  • James Dinsmore 1790–1872

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Dinsmore,
in the records of 4 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States537 records

537 records of the Dinsmore name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 182
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 136
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 95
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 53
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 29
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 27
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 12
  • Sacramento County historic burials 2
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Myrle A. Dinsmore

    Born 1903 in Arizona. Enlisted 1942 at Los Angeles, California; bartender from Los Angeles County, California. Veteran; died 1948, buried at Los Angeles National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Rose Dinsmore

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the Anchoria from Glasgow, aged 20; servant. From Donegal, Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Dennis Taylor Dinsmore

    U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War. Born 1936, died 1963; buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 537 records for Dinsmore in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Australia75 records

75 records of the Dinsmore name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 54
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 13
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 6
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 2
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Maria Dinsmore

    Arrived in Victoria in 1852 aboard the Maria, aged 46; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record William Dinsmore

    Retired of Mont Park, Victoria; died 1971.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record George Wesley Wadeson Dinsmore

    Of Albury, New South Wales; died 1930.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 75 records for Dinsmore in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Canada34 records

34 records of the Dinsmore name in Canada
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 17
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 15
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 1
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Mary Jane Dinsmore

    Died 1902; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Mary Ann Dinsmore

    Died 1930 in Port Clyde, Shelburne, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Robert John Dinsmore

    Died in service in 1916.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 34 records for Dinsmore in Canada.

Counts: City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom3 records

3 records of the Dinsmore name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record P. H. Dinsmore

    Coldstream Guards. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record W. Dinsmore

    Driver, Army Service Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record R. Dinsmore

    Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Dinsmore.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Dinsmore is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Dinsmore volume
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